Mary Wayte Pool Future, Campus Expansions Subjects of Mercer Island City and Schools Meeting

The Mercer Island City Council and the Mercer Island School District will get an update on Mary Wayte Pool and future school expansions at its joint meeting on Thursday.

The joint meeting preceeds the regularly scheduled Mercer Island School District meeting.

Olympic Cascade Aquatics, which operates the school district-owned Mary Wayte Pool on behalf of the city and school district, will provide an update on the past year of operations, and open a discussion on the long-term future of the pool.

While the pool's revenue $514,129 in the 2012 year fell about $9,817 short of expenses, revenue at the pool rose 15.2 percent over 2011 and maintenance costs fell 34 percent from 2011 numbers, according to a report.

The joint agenda also includes a discussion of three proposed school projects: a new K-5 elementary school at Southeast 40th Street and 86th Avenue Southeast; expansion of the existing Islander Middle School campus, including 14 new classrooms, larger student commons area and a new gymnasium, as the first part of a total redesign of the school; and expansion of the existing high school by adding an additional eight to ten classrooms including science labs. The costs of these three projects would be $70.8 million.

While both of those issues were subject of the school district's failed 2012 bond measure, that is not specifically included in the joint session's agenda.

Other topics on the agenda include the city's workplan to oppose I-90 tolling and discussion over the city and district's partnership over school safety.

If you go

The Mercer Island City Council and the Mercer Island School District Board will hold a joint meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2013 from 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers at 9611 SE 36th Street.

The annual joint meeting will preceed the regularly scheduled Mercer Island School Board meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. April 11.